Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew opens his front door to find Mrs. Ali, who works at the shop in the village. The Major, still reeling from a phone call with his brother’s wife, blurts out that his brother, Bertie, has just died. The Major got the call that morning. Mrs. Ali helps the Major into the house, seats him, and prepares tea. The Major reflects on the fact that his wife Nancy died six years ago. Bertie’s passing means that the Major should inherit Bertie’s gun, one of a set that their father bequeathed to them years ago; the two guns were meant to be rejoined one day. The Major imagines that the pair of guns, Churchills, are worth £100,000. He imagines that his guns will be admired when he attends shooting events.

As Mrs. Ali brings tea, the Major reflects that her husband died not two years ago. He recalls seeing incidents of vandalism of their shop. While some locals avoid doing business there because the Alis are Pakistani, the Major has “heard many a lady proudly speak of ‘our dear Pakistani friends at the shop’ as proof that Edgecombe St. Mary was a utopia of multicultural understanding” (6).